Source of Article:http://www.meatinternational.com/food-safety/maple-leaf-foods-safety-protocols-performing-as-designed-(953).html

While listeria
exists in all ready-to-eat plants and presents an exceptionally low risk,
Maple Leaf has implemented industry leading practices to detect and eradicate
listeria, which are performing as designed.

The finding of listeria
in a food plant may occur daily. The goal of a well designed program is to
generate those findings, create data patterns for additional investigations
and to use the results of these findings on a daily basis to eradicate it at
the location in which it was found. The greater food safety risk to the
Canadian public are those plants which are not finding positive results,
largely due to the inexistence or lack of penetration of a properly designed
testing program.

Recent evidence of routine detection
of listeria at the Company's Coppola plant was
evidence of a properly functioning protocol, with a successful outcome for
food safety and the Canadian public. Additionally, this plant produces
predominantly dry cured meats, which don't promote the growth of listeria so pose considerably low health risk according
to Health Canada.

There was and is no food safety risk
to the public. The Company is working cooperatively with the CFIA, who have
confirmed there is no food safety risk. There is no investigation underway;
the CFIA is at the plant verifying and validating the unprecedented levels of
data that Maple Leaf has shared.

"Our food safety protocols are
working and we have implemented the highest food safety practices in Canada, well
above government and industry standards," said Michael H. McCain,
President and CEO. "The greatest risk to the Canadian food safety system
is the multitude of Canadian plants which do not find positive test results
simply because they don't test adequately. If you test, you will find and you
can eradicate with the proper protocols. If you don't test, you won't find,
but there will be no eradication which is the real food safety risk in this
country."

Key features of the Maple Leaf enhanced
environmental and product testing protocols include:

A program
of testing daily in plants, designed to find listeria
that is known to always exist in a ready to eat food plant. It is at or
above the most rigous testing protocol in North America.

Over the
past three months Maple Leaf has collected over 42,300 test results across its 24 packaged meat plants.
This represents an average of 1,760 results per plant. This level of listeria testing is an unprecedented level of
testing to provide an early warning system.

Our rate
of positives tests across our plants is consistently less than 1%, which
is 50-80% better than industry data available from the U.S.

All
test results are maintained in an analytical data base to monitor and
review results constantly, and allow investigative analysis
for patterns

The
Company treats all positives in the most aggressive way possible to
ensure the safety of our products. Tests detect any listeria
species, which includes all six strains of the bacteria, even though
only one strain (listeriamonocytogenese)
presents any risk to human health.

Product
quarantine procedures have been implemented to ensure product doesn't
leave our plants if we any concerns.

If early
warning environmental testing systems indicate listeria
at a plant location, we product test at statistically relevant levels to
ensure the safety of the product.

Maple
Leaf's protocols are working and we have the highest food safety
standards in Canada.
We encourage ALL food processors across the
country to match this level of rigour.

"Maple Leaf has implemented best
practices of listeria testing and control in North America," said Randy Huffman, Chief Food
Safety Officer. "While this provides an excellent early detection
system, the Company's commitment to food safety will involve ongoing
investment, training and adoption of global best practices."

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading
food processing company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The Company employs approximately 23,500 people at its operations across Canada and in the United
States, the United
Kingdom and Asia. The
Company had sales of $5.2 billion in 2007.